Team Canada announced its roster on Wednesday, December 31st, and the goalies who went to the Four Nations Faceoff are not the same three who will go to the Olympics. Outside of Jordan Binnington, who was in net for Canada at Four Nations, the other two goalies are Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper.
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During an appearance on TSN Radio in Montreal before the Christmas holiday, Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com, Full Press NHL, and RG Media was asked about Canada’s goaltending, and there was a little foreshadowing as he said that Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper should be on the team.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “But finally, another topic of conversation that has come up time and time again is the goaltending situation. Whether it’s going to be Jordan Binnington, whether it’s going to be Logan Thompson, the uncertainty surrounding Darcy Kuemper and his health. So when it’s all said and done, when the roster is announced, and when we roll into mid-February and transition into game one, who do you think is going to be the starter?
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Jim Biringer: “I think Jordan Binnington will be the starter for game one. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to finish the tournament. We’ve seen it. How many times now. Roberto Luongo started in, I think 2014, Carey Price finished the tournament. Martin Brodeur started in 2010, and Roberto Luongo finished the tournament. Cujo (Curtis Joseph) in 2002 started the tournament. Martin Brodeur finished the tournament.
I think they’re going to give Jordan Binnington every chance to win the position in game one. But unlike Four Nations, where you only had three round robin games and the final, where John Cooper’s like, yeah, he’s my guy, if he struggles in one game, they’ll go to a Logan Thompson, a Scott Wedgwood, a (Mackenzie) Blackwood, somebody like that.
Because I think if I’m bringing and putting the best personnel together for Team Canada, the issues between Bruce Cassidy and Logan Thompson and stuff like that need to be put aside. Logan Thompson is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL right now. He has to be on Team Canada, considering the lack of depth right now with the position, any uncertainty around the position, especially the guys that went there to four nations.
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You’re telling me Binnington is the first guy. Okay, well, I can change the others. I think Thompson needs to be there. I think Kuemper, if he’s healthy, needs to be there again. Binnington starts, but he, in my opinion, he’s probably not finishing the tournament for Canada.”
This is the group that Canada plans to bring barring injury. Jordan Binnington was always going to be on the team because of St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong being the GM of Team Canada. But as mentioned, who says he needs to play every game? The goal is to win, and he struggles. You can go to Thompson or Kuemper.
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